A new study found that sleep has an impact on Alzheimer’s disease, as lack of it increases the risk of developing it, and that sleep disorders serve as an “early warning.”
The findings, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, show that using sleeping pills to get enough sleep can reduce the build-up of toxic clumps of proteins in the brain-washing fluids every night, reports Al-Rai daily.
Researchers have found that using sleeping pills to get enough sleep can reduce the buildup of toxic clumps of proteins in the brain-washing fluids every night.
Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis found that people who took suvorexant, a common treatment for insomnia, for two nights at a sleep clinic experienced slight decreases in two proteins, amyloid beta and tau, which accumulate in Alzheimer’s disease.
The study spanned just two nights and included 38 middle-aged participants who showed no signs of cognitive impairment and had no sleep problems.
Although the study was short and included a small group of healthy adults, it is an important piece of evidence for the relationship between sleep and molecular markers of Alzheimer’s disease.
The study warns that sleep disturbances may be an early warning sign of Alzheimer’s disease that precedes other symptoms, such as memory loss and cognitive decline.
By the time the first symptoms develop, the abnormal beta-amyloid levels have nearly peaked, and clumps called plaques have formed that block brain cells.
Researchers believe that promoting sleep could be one way to stave off Alzheimer’s disease, by allowing the sleeping brain to clean itself of the day’s leftover proteins and other waste products.
Read Today's News TODAY... on our Telegram Channel click here to join and receive all the latest updates t.me/thetimeskuwait
